Have people's concepts of normal become too fat?

abberbabber

And this is exactly why having plus size models, clothing stores & the like have got to go.

Uh so...what are heavy people supposed to wear? Anyone over a size 14 should wear a mumu or a bed sheet? Wow. You think that will make someone keep a healthy weight? No, it will just make them home bound because they have no clothing fit for public. Shame on you.

Perhaps if there were LESS of an emphasis on fat clothing stores it may encourage people to lose weight in order to wear better stuff.....

just sayin.

:huh:

I'd love to know where you are that there are sooooooo many "fat clothing stores". Because for reals, I need to come visit. There are exactly two in my town, the local Target has about 3 racks in the "plus size section" and in most department stores, the women's section is seriously hard to find.

seltzermint555

I live in a small Midwestern city - seriously not a huge metropolis - and there are 7 specialty plus size clothing stores in my area and every single department store has a large plus section. Some of them even have two or three - junior plus, plus casual, and plus dressy/career wear. Target does have a rather small plus section, I'll agree with that. But every discount retailer and even off-price stores and thrift stores have big plus sections now. As well as more than half of the fashionable teen boutiques now go up to size 20 or 24! This did not used to be the case.

I love it because I have an issue with Lane Bryant/Cacique and try to avoid shopping there whenever possible. Fortunately for me, it's very easily avoidable.

Morninglory81

I had a recent experience where I was hit wih how skewed my perception was. I am 5'10" 160lbs and estimated that my bf% was around 26-28%. I had my bf chacked and I am at 32%! I was shocked that my perception was that far off. I look at people around me and I am slim in comparison so I naturally felt like I was closer to athletic than I truly am.

So in answer to the op question my personal concept of normal is on the heavier side. It has made me question what I see as acceptable and made me doubt what I see in the mirror.

BinaryPulsar

I don't understand how people can say that they shouldn't have plus sized clothing stores. There are all different sized people in this world and there should be clothing that fits and is flattering be made available to everyone. There are all kinds of reasons why a person could be at a larger size, why make it more difficult to find nice clothing. Having a whole store just makes it that much more pleasant and easy to shop (less stuff to sift through to find what a person is looking for). I do not think this in any way contributes to a weight issue. This is an old thread, btw.

peachfigs

I'm not sure... I'm from the UK too and I think in the US they tend to class 'healthy' as slightly bigger than what we'd class it as.

Their clothes sizes are bigger for a start...their size 10 is our 8, etc. Not sure if that means anything but I think in the UK we value a slightly thinner body than the US does.

lilacinfinity

I had a recent experience where I was hit wih how skewed my perception was. I am 5'10" 160lbs and estimated that my bf% was around 26-28%. I had my bf chacked and I am at 32%! I was shocked that my perception was that far off. I look at people around me and I am slim in comparison so I naturally felt like I was closer to athletic than I truly am.

So in answer to the op question my personal concept of normal is on the heavier side. It has made me question what I see as acceptable and made me doubt what I see in the mirror.

Slim does not necessarily equal low body fat, though. Some slim people, women especially although men too, have a body fat % that would put them in an unhealthy range. They're just slim because they have very little lean mass (i.e. muscle) with the fat.

bowbeforethoraxis

I had a recent experience where I was hit wih how skewed my perception was. I am 5'10" 160lbs and estimated that my bf% was around 26-28%. I had my bf chacked and I am at 32%! I was shocked that my perception was that far off. I look at people around me and I am slim in comparison so I naturally felt like I was closer to athletic than I truly am.

So in answer to the op question my personal concept of normal is on the heavier side. It has made me question what I see as acceptable and made me doubt what I see in the mirror.

I'm 5'10" 220 lbs and my bf is 28%. I am 48 lbs overweight according to BMI charts, but have an average bf percentage.

I definitely look fat, I feel fat, and I want to lose weight and slim down, but that just goes to show that you can't tell what's going on in a person's body just by looking.

jaz050465

see many cultures its different. Body types are different. In most of Asia, you can be fit (AKA, low body fat %, have a 6 pack etc) and get called fat. You HAVE to be stick thin to be considered not fat here.

I personally say, who cares. Just be happy with your body. Nobody ever got a body that EVERYBODY around him/her were happy with. So why try to fit into what others thought was good looking eh?

I agree with this.

And being from the UK, I do not think it's considered normal to be fatter there at all, but I'm from London where every one aspires to be very thin. Apparently, in northern parts of the country the average sizes of people are bigger.

I agree. In live in Fife in Scotland now and I notice a huge difference when I go back to London to visit family, generally people are thinner there. I joke that where as in north West London, every other shop on the high street is a nail bar, in Fife, ever other shop is a bakers!!

lilacinfinity

Do you think people in those cities like new york and london are generally slimmer because of more use of public transport and walking rather than driving? I feel like that would contribute a lot to it!

jaz050465

Do you think people in those cities like new york and london are generally slimmer because of more use of public transport and walking rather than driving? I feel like that would contribute a lot to it!

I think to a certain extent, its self perpetuating. I'm amazed when I see a group of teenage girls going out clubbing locally who have obviously spent hours on hair, make up and shopping for an outfit, but they are all really big. But because they all ( or the majority) look like that- maybe they don't care.

jaz050465

I'm not sure... I'm from the UK too and I think in the US they tend to class 'healthy' as slightly bigger than what we'd class it as.

Their clothes sizes are bigger for a start...their size 10 is our 8, etc. Not sure if that means anything but I think in the UK we value a slightly thinner body than the US does.

This is probably a very stereotypical view, and I'm basing it on USA film and TV, which I know, is ridiculous, but the impression I get of the USA is that its quite polar, people are often super fit and thin, or very unhealthy and big.

chazerlaa

I honestly do think that as a country (at least in the UK, being a member of said country) our standard of what is average and "normal" has become extremely sloppy. It's ridiculous, I find myself unable to shop at a lot of clothing shops because even their lowest sizes are huge on me, some shops are still ok, but I've found that some places (im looking at you tk maxx and new look) have ridiculously large clothing sizes in relation to what size they are saying they actually are. Also I've noticed that since I've lost the weight people have started expressing concern as they feel I am becoming "too thin". To be honest I just think that everyone else is becoming too fat.

seltzermint555

I'm not sure... I'm from the UK too and I think in the US they tend to class 'healthy' as slightly bigger than what we'd class it as.

Their clothes sizes are bigger for a start...their size 10 is our 8, etc. Not sure if that means anything but I think in the UK we value a slightly thinner body than the US does.

This is probably a very stereotypical view, and I'm basing it on USA film and TV, which I know, is ridiculous, but the impression I get of the USA is that its quite polar, people are often super fit and thin, or very unhealthy and big.

Actually yes. As an American I'd agree with this somewhat. I know a lot of women who are size 4 and a lot of women who are size 22. I don't know a whole lot of 12's. Even though I am still very much a big plus size woman (tall and size 18) I am starting to feel the "pain" (not painful at all) of being in a weird middle ground where things in plus stores are cut really wrong/big for my body and everything in the lower sizes is never going to fit over my hips, shoulders, etc. There is a huge middle ground of "average" from say 6-12 that I think not that many women I know even fit into.

fitOsaurus_Rex_we_changed

i definitely think peoples concepts are skewed! i'm 5'2" and 138 (which is still overweight in america by 2-3lbs) but people tell me i'm 'tiny' and 'skinny' and dont need to lose weight. i stopped talking about weight loss to the people around me because, after losing 25lbs and getting to a size 4/6 no one thinks i need to lose more weight. i think as long as you are healthy, of mind and food intake, then your goal body is your goal body and it's no one's business to comment on it. you wouldnt walk up to a fat person and call them fat and tell them to stop eating so why would you walk up to a smaller person and tell them that they are skinny and need to eat...TOTALLY RUDE IMO!

spookiefox

On the contrary, I believe people's "concepts of normal" have become too thin.The popularity of VLCDs and the fact that MFP needs a "rule" against encouraging them demonstrates that our focus on weight in the west IS NOT out of a concern for healthy. In fact, you have to be pretty "fat" before you are "fat" enough that it's IMPOSSIBLE to be healthy at your weight. Any focus on weight that isn't about health is about appearance, and people who judge based on appearance are not worth wasting your time with.

Edited for grammar.

CollieFit

Our (UK) obesity levels have DOUBLED in the last 25 years. Hence someone who is now in their 40s would have a different idea of what the "normal" population around them looked like in their twenties than today's twenty year olds.

http://www.noo.org.uk/NOO_about_obesity/trends

When I was in school in the late 70s / early 80s there were maybe 2 or 3 fat kids in my class of 30. Today it's nearer 40%!!

Studies have also shown that parents do not recognise obesity in their own children and think their child is a "normal" weight when it quite clearly is not.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-12226744

People who are at their ideal weight will soon be in the minority and no longer considered "normal" but perceived as underweight.

The heavier people get the more the "average" weight will shift across. However, "average" is not necessarily normal nor healthy.

KombuchaCat

Definately, I think especially here in the U.S. I'm currently 5'3" and 155 lbs, not yet within normal limits and there is most certainly extra fat that still needs to come off to be healthy. People tell me all the time that they "don't know where it's going to come from." Seriously? Also I've notice especially in the last 5 years or so people are not dressing appropriately for thier body and I think it's because in general they just don't see themselves in reality. I'm not saying if you are overweight you need to wear a moo moo, but just be mindful.

Holly_Roman_Empire

Yes, and daily exercise is abnormal.

Yup, especially when you're not trying to lose weight. It's like, if I don't have 30+ pounds to lose, why am I trying to eat healthy or exercise?

Holly_Roman_Empire

i definitely think peoples concepts are skewed! i'm 5'2" and 138 (which is still overweight in america by 2-3lbs) but people tell me i'm 'tiny' and 'skinny' and dont need to lose weight. i stopped talking about weight loss to the people around me because, after losing 25lbs and getting to a size 4/6 no one thinks i need to lose more weight. i think as long as you are healthy, of mind and food intake, then your goal body is your goal body and it's no one's business to comment on it. you wouldnt walk up to a fat person and call them fat and tell them to stop eating so why would you walk up to a smaller person and tell them that they are skinny and need to eat...TOTALLY RUDE IMO!

Yeah, I get that. If a thin/fit person went up to an overweight/obese person and said "you don't need to eat," there would be an uprising!

joolywooly33

I agree with the OP. I also think never exercising and eating junk food is 'normal'. No wonder the average dress size in the UK is now a 16! It is not, no matter what anyone says, normal or healthy to be fat!